Extended UBS protocol connector and socket

ABSTRACT

Extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) plugs and sockets are disclosed. The extended USB plug includes an extended pin substrate having an extended substrate length longer than a length of a pin substrate of an industry-standard USB connector plug. There is further included a plurality of USB connector contacts configured to carry USB signals and a plurality of non-USB connector contacts configured to carry non-USB signals. The extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) plug, which includes an extended pin substrate having an extended substrate length longer than a length of a pin substrate of an industry-standard USB connector plug. There is included a plurality of USB connector contacts configured to carry USB signals and a plurality of non-USB connector contacts configured to carry non-USB signals.

This application is a continuation of and claims priority under 35 USC120 to a patent application entitled “Extended USB Protocol Plug andReceptacle,” U.S. Ser. No. 10/834,457, filed Apr. 28, 2004 now U.S. Pat.No. 7,125,287, which is a continuation-in-part of a patent applicationentitled “Dual-Personality Extended-USB Plug and Receptacle withPCI-Express or Serial AT-Attachment Extensions,” U.S. Ser. No.10/708,172, Filed Feb. 12, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,971, which is acontinuation-in-part of a patent application entitled “Slim USBConnector with Spring-Engaging Depressions, Stabilizing Dividers andWider End Rails for Flash-Memory Drive”, U.S. Ser. No. 10/605,146, FiledSep. 11, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,984, all of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) has been widely deployed as a standard busfor connecting peripherals such as digital cameras and music players topersonal computers (PCs) and other devices. Currently, the top transferrate of USB is 480 Mb/s, which is quite sufficient for mostapplications. Faster serial-bus interfaces are being introduced toaddress different requirements. PCI Express, at 2.5 Gb/s, and SATA, at1.5 Gb/s and 3.0 Gb/s, are two examples of high-speed serial businterfaces for the next generation devices, as are IEEE 1394 and SerialAttached Small-Computer System Interface (SA SCSI or SAS).

FIG. 1A shows a prior-art peripheral-side USB connector. USB connector10 may be mounted on a board in the peripheral. USB connector 10 can bemounted in an opening in a plastic case (not shown) for the peripheral.

USB connector 10 contains a small connector substrate 14, which is oftenwhite ceramic, black rigid plastic, or another sturdy substrate.Generally speaking, connector substrate 14 has four metal contacts 16formed thereon. In some extended USB implementations, such as thatdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,793 B1, additional metal contacts(e.g., four additional contacts for a total of eight contacts) may beprovided. Metal contacts 16 carry the USB signals generated or receivedby a controller chip in the peripheral. USB signals include power,ground, and serial differential data D+, D−.

USB connector 10 contains a metal case that wraps around connectorsubstrate 14. The metal case touches connector substrate 14 on three ofthe sides of connector substrate 14. The top side of connector substrate14, holding metal contacts 16, has a large gap to the top of the metalcase. On the top and bottom of this metal wrap are formed holes 12. USBconnector 10 is a male connector, such as a type-A USB connector.

FIG. 1B shows a female USB connector. Female USB connector 20 can be anintegral part of a host or PC, or can be connected by a cable. Anotherconnector substrate 22 contains four metal contacts 24 that makeelectrical contact with the four metal contacts 16 of the male USBconnector 10 of FIG. 1A. Connector substrate 22 is wrapped by a metalcase, but small gaps are between the metal case and connector substrate22 on the lower three sides.

Locking is provided by metal springs 18 in the top and bottom of themetal case. When male USB connector 10 of FIG. 1A is flipped over andinserted into Female USB connector 20 of FIG. 1B, metal springs 18 lockinto holes 12 of male USB connector 10. This allows the metal casings tobe connected together and grounded.

Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) is a widely used serial-interface standardfor connecting external devices to a host such as a personal computer(PC). Another new standard is PCI Express, which is an extension ofPeripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus widely used inside a PC forconnecting plug-in expansion cards. An intent of PCI Express is topreserve and re-use PCI software. Unfortunately, USB connectors withtheir 4 metal contacts do not support the more complex PCI Expressstandard.

FIGS. 2A-B show an ExpressCard and its connector. A new removable-cardform-factor known as ExpressCard has been developed by thePersonal-Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), PCI,and USB standards groups. ExpressCard 26 is about 75 mm long, 34 mmwide, and 5 mm thick and has ExpressCard connector 28.

FIG. 2B shows that ExpressCard connector 28 fits into connector orsocket 30 on a host when ExpressCard 26 is inserted into an ExpressCardslot on the host. Since ExpressCard connector 28 and socket 30 are26-pin connectors, they contain many more signals than a 4-pin USBconnector. The additional PCI-Express interface can be supported as wellas USB. ExpressCard 26 can also use USB to communicate with the host.Differential USB data signals D+ and D− are connected betweenExpressCard 26 and a host chip set. The host chip set contains a USBhost controller to facilitate communication with ExpressCard 26.

PCI Express supports data rates up to 2.5 G/b, much higher than USB.While the ExpressCard standard is useful for its higher possible datarate, the 26-pin connectors and wider card-like form factor limit theuse of ExpressCards. The smaller USB connector and socket are moredesirable than the larger ExpressCard.

Another interface, serial AT-attachment (SATA) supports data rates of1.5 Gb/s and 3.0 Gb/s. However, SATA uses two connectors, one 7-pinconnector for signals and another 15-pin connector for power. Due to itsclumsiness, SATA is more useful for internal storage expansion than forexternal peripherals.

While SATA and ExpressCard are much higher-speed interfaces than USB,they use larger, bulky connectors while USB has a single, smallconnector.

FIGS. 3A-D shows cross-sections of a prior-art USB connector and socket.In FIG. 3A, a prior-art peripheral-side plug or USB connector hasplastic housing 36 that the user can grip when inserting the USBconnector into a USB socket such as the socket in FIG. 3B. Pin substrate34 can be made of ceramic, plastic, or other insulating material, andsupports metal contact pines 32. There are 4 metal contact pins 32arranged as shown in the top view of pin substrate 34 in FIG. 3D. Metalcover 33 is an open-ended rectangular tube that wraps around pinsubstrate 34 and the gap above metal contact pins 32.

In FIG. 3B, a prior-art host-side USB socket is shown, such as a USBsocket on a host PC. Metal cover 38 is a rectangular tube that surroundspin substrate 42 and has an opening to receive the USB connector's pinsubstrate 34. Metal contact pins 44 are mounted on the underside of pinsubstrate 42. Mounting pin 40 is formed from metal cover 38 and isuseful for mounting the USB socket to a printed-circuit board (PCB) orchassis on the host PC.

Metal contact pins 44 are arranged as shown in the bottom view of pinsubstrate 42 of FIG. 3C. The four metal contact pins 44 are arranged toslide along and make contact with the four metal contact pins 32 whenthe USB connector is inserted into the USB socket. Pin substrates 34, 42are formed in an L-shape with matching cutouts above metal contact pins32 and below metal contact pins 44 that fit together when inserted.

Metal contact pins 32, 44 can have a slight bend or kink in them (notshown) to improve mechanical and electrical contact. The bend produces aspring-like action that is compressed when the USB connecter is insertedinto the USB socket. The force of the compressed spring improves contactbetween metal contact pins 32, 44.

While useful, prior-art USB sockets and connectors have only four metalcontact pins 32 that mate with four contact pins 44. The four metalcontact pins carry power, ground, and differential data lines D+, D−.There are no additional pins for extended signals required by otherstandard buses, such as PCI Express or Serial ATA.

What is desired is an extended USB socket and connector. An extended-USBconnector that fits into standard USB sockets, yet has additional metalcontacts is desirable. An extended-USB socket that can receive astandard USB connector or the extended USB connector is also desired.The extended socket and connector when mated carry additional signals,allowing for higher-speed bus interfaces to be used. A higher-speedextended connector and socket that are physically and electricallycompatible with existing USB sockets and connector is desirable.Auto-detection of higher-speed capabilities is desired when the extendedUSB connector is plugged into the extended USB socket.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention relates, in one embodiment, to an extendedUniversal-Serial-Bus (USB) plug. The extended USB plug includes anextended pin substrate having an extended substrate length longer than alength of a pin substrate of an industry-standard USB connector plug.There is further included a plurality of USB connector contacts arrangedin a first row in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis ofthe extended USB plug, the plurality of USB connector contacts beingdisposed on the pin substrate and configured to carry USB signals.Additionally, there is included a plurality of non-USB connectorcontacts arranged in a second row parallel to the first row, theplurality of non-USB connector contacts being configured to carrynon-USB signals.

In another embodiment, the invention relates to an extendedUniversal-Serial-Bus (USB) plug, which includes an extended pinsubstrate having an extended substrate length longer than a length of apin substrate of an industry-standard USB connector plug. There isincluded a plurality of USB connector contacts arranged in a first rowin a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the extended USBplug, the plurality of USB connector contacts being disposed on the pinsubstrate and configured to carry USB signals. There is further includeda plurality of non-USB connector contacts arranged in a second rowparallel to the first row, the plurality of non-USB connector contactsbeing configured to carry non-USB signals.

In a further embodiment, the invention relates to an extendedUniversal-Serial-Bus (USB) socket, which includes an extended cavityhaving an extended cavity length longer than a length of a cavity of anindustry-standard USB connector socket. There is included a plurality ofUSB socket contacts arranged in a first row in a direction perpendicularto a longitudinal axis of the extended USB socket, the plurality of USBsocket contacts being disposed in the cavity and configured to carry USBsignals. There is further included a plurality of non-USB socketcontacts arranged in a second row parallel to the first row, theplurality of non-USB socket contacts being configured to carry non-USBsignals.

In yet another embodiment, the invention relates to an extendedUniversal-Serial-Bus (USB) socket, which includes an extended cavityhaving an extended cavity length longer than a length of a cavity of anindustry-standard USB connector socket. There is included a plurality ofUSB socket contacts arranged in a first row in a direction perpendicularto a longitudinal axis of the extended USB socket, the plurality of USBsocket contacts being disposed in the cavity and configured to carry USBsignals. There is also included a plurality of non-USB socket contactsarranged in a second row parallel to the first row, the plurality ofnon-USB socket contacts being configured to carry non-USB signals.

These and other features of the present invention will be described inmore detail below in the detailed description of the invention and inconjunction with the following figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1A shows a prior-art peripheral-side USB connector.

FIG. 1B shows a female USB connector.

FIGS. 2A-B show an ExpressCard and its connector.

FIGS. 3A-D shows cross-sections of a prior-art USB connector and socket.

FIGS. 4A-I show, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention, extended USB connectors and sockets having metal contact pinson both top and bottom surfaces of the pin substrates.

FIG. 5A shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the present inventiona block diagram of a host with an extended-USB socket that supportsextended-mode communication.

FIG. 5B shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, a block diagram of a peripheral with an extended-USBconnector that supports extended-mode communication.

FIG. 6 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,a table of extended and standard pins in the extended USB connector andsocket for FIG. 5.

FIGS. 7A-H show, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention, a second embodiment of extended USB connectors and socketshaving metal contact pins on just one of the surfaces of the pinsubstrates.

FIG. 8 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,a flowchart of an initialization routine executed by a host fordetecting a device plugged into an extended USB socket. The host can bemulti mode or single mode.

FIG. 9 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,a flowchart of an initialization routine executed by a peripheral deviceplugged into an extended USB socket. The device can be multi mode orsingle mode.

FIG. 10 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, a flowchart of an initialization routine executed by a hostfor detecting a device plugged into an extended USB socket. The host canbe single mode or 1 side multi mode.

FIG. 11 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, a flowchart of an initialization routine executed by aperipheral device plugged into an extended USB socket. The device issingle mode.

FIG. 12 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, 10 pin arrangement instead of 12 pins.

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 show LED circuitry for indicating mode in a devicehaving a EUSB connector.

FIG. 16 shows a timing diagram to facilitate discussion of reset signalgeneration.

FIGS. 17 and 18 show reset circuitry for use in resetting a devicehaving a EUSB connector.

FIGS. 19A, 19B and 19C illustrate respectively implementations using asingle position double throw (SPDT) switch, a single pole single throw(SPST) switch, and another single pole single throw (SPST) switch toprovide for write protect logic for a device having an EUSB connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to improvements in serial-bus connectorsand sockets. The following description is presented to enable one ofordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention as provided inthe context of a particular application and its requirements. Variousmodifications to the preferred embodiment will be apparent to those withskill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may beapplied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the particular embodiment shown and described,but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principlesand novel features herein disclosed.

The inventors have realized that USB connectors and sockets are widelydeployed. An extended or enhanced USB connector must fit in standard USBsockets, and an enhanced USB socket must accept standard USB connectorsfor backward compatibility. Since the height and width of USBconnectors/sockets must remain the same for insertion compatibility, thelength of each can be extended to fit additional metal contacts foradditional signals.

The inventors have also realized that additional metal contacts may beplaced on the opposite side of the pin substrates, opposite the existingfour metal contact pins. These additional pins must not touch the metalhousing or metal cover to prevent shorting to ground when the metalcover is grounded.

FIGS. 4A-I show a first embodiment of extended USB connectors andsockets having metal contact pins on both top and bottom surfaces of thepin substrates. In FIG. 4A, the extended connector has plastic housing76 that the user can grip when inserting the connector plug into asocket. Pin substrate 70 supports metal contact pins 88 on the topsurface. As shown, pins 88 are disposed in a row that is perpendicularto the longitudinal axis of the extended USB connector plug. Pinsubstrate 70 is an insulator such as ceramic, plastic, or othermaterial. Metal leads or wires can pass through pin substrate 70 toconnect metal contact pins 88 to wires inside plastic housing 76 thatconnect to the peripheral device.

Reverse-side metal contact pins 72 are placed in a recess in the bottomside of pin substrate 70 near the tip of the connector plug. Ribs can beadded alongside contact pins 72 to further prevent shorting.Reverse-side metal contact pins 72 are additional pins for extendedsignals such as for PCI-Express signals. Metal leads or wires can passthrough pin substrate 70 to connect reverse-side metal contact pins 72to wires inside plastic housing 76 that connect to the peripheraldevice.

The length L1 of pin substrate 70 is longer than the length L2 of pinsubstrate 34 in the prior-art USB connector of FIG. 3A. The extension inlength (L1-L2) can be 2-5 millimeters, for example. Reverse-side metalcontact pins 72 are located mostly in the extension region beyond L2.Metal cover 73 is a rectangular tube that surrounds pin substrate 70 andhas an open end. An opening in metal cover 73 on the bottom of pinsubstrate 70 allows reverse-side metal contact pins 72 to be exposed.

FIG. 4B shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, an extended-USB socket having metal contact pins on bothbottom and top surfaces of the pin substrate. Pin substrate 84 has metalcontact pins 86 formed on a bottom surface facing a cavity that pinsubstrate 70 of the connector fits into. Pin substrate 84 also has lowersubstrate extension 85 that is not present on the prior-art USB socket,which has an L-shaped pin substrate.

Extension metal contact pins 80 are mounted on lower substrate extension85 near the rear of the cavity. A bump or spring can be formed onextension metal contact pins 80, such as by bending flat metal pads.This bump allows extension metal contact pins 80 to reach reverse-sidemetal contact pins 72 which are recessed in pin substrate 70 of theconnector.

A cavity is formed by the bottom surface of pin substrate 84 and the topsurface of lower substrate extension 85 and the back of pin substrate 84than connects to lower substrate extension 85. The depth D1 of thiscavity is greater than the depth D2 of the prior-art USB socket of FIG.3B. This extended depth allows for a standard, prior-art USB connectorto be inserted into the cavity and not make electrical contact withextension metal contact pins 80, preventing shorting. Metal cover 78 isa metal tube that covers pin substrate 84 and lower substrate extension85. Metal cover 73 of the USB connector fits in gaps 81 between metalcover 78 and the top and sides of pin substrate 84. Mounting pin 82 canbe formed on metal cover 78 for mounting the extended USB socket to aPCB or chassis.

FIG. 4C shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, the bottom surface of pin substrate 84, which supports metalcontact pins 86. These four pins carry the prior-art USB differentialsignals, power, and ground, and make contact with metal contact pins 88of the extended USB connector on the top surface of pin substrate 70,shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4D. The length shown for pins 88 areillustrative only; as long as pins 88 can electrically contact withcorresponding pins 86 in the extended USB receptacle (and with standardUSB socket pins when the extended USB connector is inserted into astandard USB socket), these pins 88 can have any length.

The extended USB connector has 8 reverse-side metal contact pins 72 onthe bottom surface of pin substrate 70, arranged as shown in theembodiment of FIG. 4D. These make contact with extension metal contactpins 80, arranged as shown in the embodiments of FIG. 4C on lowersubstrate extension 85. These 8 extension pins carry extended signals,such as for PCI-Express.

FIG. 4E shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, the extended USB connector fully inserted into the extendedUSB socket. When fully inserted, the tip of pin substrate 70 fits intothe cavity between pin substrate 84 and lower substrate extension 85 ofthe extended USB socket. On the upper surface of connector pin substrate70, metal contact pins 88 make contact with the four metal contact pins86 of socket pin substrate 84, while reverse-side metal contact pins 72on the bottom surface of pin substrate 70 make contact with extensionmetal contact pins 80 on the top surface of lower substrate extension85.

Since reverse-side metal contact pins 72 are recessed, they do not makecontact with metal cover 38 of the prior-art USB socket. Ribs can beadded near and/or in between some or all of contact pins 72 to furtherprevent shorting. Both of these implementations are considered to berecessed implementations since the top of the ribs can be considered tobe the top surface of the substrate. This prevents shorting of signalsconnected to reverse-side metal contact pins 72 to a ground connected tometal cover 38.

FIG. 4F shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, the extended USB connector just before insertion into astandard USB socket. When fully inserted, as shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 4G, the tip of pin substrate 70 fits under socket pin substrate 42.On the upper surface of connector pin substrate 70, metal contact pins88 make contact with the four metal contact pins 44 of socket pinsubstrate 42. Reverse-side metal contact pins 72 on the bottom surfaceof pin substrate 70 do not make contact with socket metal cover 38 sincereverse-side metal contact pins 72 are recessed into the bottom surfaceof connector pin substrate 70 or when insulating ribs are provided. Thusonly the four standard USB pins (metal contact pins 44, 88) areelectrically contacted.

FIG. 4H shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, a standard USB connector just before insertion into theextended USB socket. When fully inserted, as shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 4I, the tip of connector pin substrate 34 fits under socket pinsubstrate 84, but does not reach the back of the cavity. On the uppersurface of connector pin substrate 34, metal contact pins 32 makecontact with the four metal contact pins 86 of socket pin substrate 84.Extension metal contact pins 80 on the top of lower substrate extension85 do not touch connector metal cover 33 since the depth of the extendedUSB socket is greater than the length L2 of the prior-art USB connector.Thus only the four standard USB pins (metal contact pins 32, 86) areelectrically contacted.

FIG. 5A shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, a block diagram of a host with an extended-USB socket thatsupports extended-mode communication. A variety of extended-USB or USBperipherals 168 may be plugged into extended-USB socket 166 of host 152.For example, a SATA peripheral, a PCI-Express peripheral, a FirewireIEEE 1394 peripheral, a Serial-Attached SCSI peripheral, or an USB-onlyperipheral could be inserted. Each can operate in its own standard mode.

Host 152 has processor system 150 for executing programs includingUSB-management and bus-scheduling programs. Multi-personality serial-businterface 160 processes data from processor system 150 using variousprotocols. USB processor 154 processes data using the USB protocol, andinputs and outputs USB data on the USB differential data lines inextended USB socket 166.

The extended metal contact pins in extended USB socket 166 connect tomulti-personality bus switch 162. Transceivers in multi-personality busswitch 162 buffer data to and from the transmit and receive pairs ofdifferential data lines in the extended metal contacts for extendedprotocols such as PCI-Express, Firewire IEEE 1394, Serial-Attached SCSI,and SATA. When an initialization routine executed by processor system150 determines that inserted peripheral 168 supports SATA, personalityselector 164 configures multi-personality bus switch 162 to connectextended USB socket 166 to SATA processor 158. When the initializationroutine executed by processor system 150 determines that insertedperipheral 168 supports PCI-Express, personality selector 164 configuresmulti-personality bus switch 162 to connect extended USB socket 166 toPCI-Express processor 156. Then processor system 150 communicates witheither PCI-Express processor 156 or SATA processor 158 instead of USBprocessor 154 when extended mode is activated.

FIG. 5B shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, a block diagram of a peripheral with an extended-USBconnector that supports extended-mode communication. Multi-personalityperipheral 172 has extended USB connector 186 that could be plugged intoextended-USB socket 166 of host 152 that has extended-mode communicationcapabilities such as SATA, 1394, SA-SCSI, or PCI-Express. Alternatively,extended USB connector 186 of multi-personality peripheral 172 could beplugged into standard-USB socket 187 of host 188 that only supportsstandard USB communication.

Multi-personality peripheral 172 has processor system 170 for executingcontrol programs including USB-peripheral-control and response programs.Multi-personality serial-bus interface 180 processes data from processorsystem 170 using various protocols. USB processor 174 processes datausing the USB protocol, and inputs and outputs USB data on the USBdifferential data lines in extended USB connector 186.

The extended metal contact pins in extended USB connector 186 connect tomulti-personality bus switch 182. Transceivers in multi-personality busswitch 182 buffer data to and from the transmit and receive pairs ofdifferential data lines in the extended metal contacts for extendedprotocols such as PCI-Express, 1394, SA SCSI (also referred to herein asSAS), and SATA. When a control or configuration routine executed byprocessor system 170 determines that host 152 has configuredmulti-personality peripheral 172 for SATA, personality selector 184configures multi-personality bus switch 182 to connect extended USBconnector 186 to SATA processor 178. When the initialization routineexecuted by processor system 170 determines that inserted peripheral 188supports PCI-Express, personality selector 184 configuresmulti-personality bus switch 182 to connect extended USB connector 186to PCI-Express processor 176. Then processor system 170 communicateswith either PCI-Express processor 176 or SATA processor 178 instead ofUSB processor 174 when extended mode is activated.

If a PCI Express device with an extended USB plug is plugged into a hostsystem with a conventional USB receptacle, nothing will be recognized ifthe PCI Express device does not support USB. The host system will notsee anything that has plugged into the system. The same is true for aSATA-only device, etc.

FIG. 6 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,a table of extended and standard pins in the extended USB connector andsocket. The A side of the pin substrates contains the four standard USBsignals, which include a 5-volt power signal and ground. Thedifferential USB data D−, D+ are carried on pins 2 and 3. These pins arenot used for extended modes.

Side B of the pin substrates, or the extension of the primary surfaces,carries the extended signals. Pin 1 is a 3.3-volt power signal forPCI-Express, Serial-ATA, and IEEE1394, while pin 2 is a 1.5-volt supplyfor PCI-Express and reserved for others. Pin 8 is a 12-volt power supplyfor SATA, and IEEE1394 and reserved for PCI-Express. Pin 5 is a ground.

Pins 3 and 4 carry the transmit differential pair, called PETn, PETp,for PCI-Express, T−, T+ for SATA. They also carry the B differentialpair, TPB*, TPB, for IEEE 1394. Pins 6 and 7 carry the receivedifferential pair, called PERn, PERp, for PCI-Express, R−, R+ for SATA.They also carry the A differential pair, TPA*, TPA, for IEEE 1394 .

The ExpressCard pins REFCLK+, REFCLK−, CPPE#, CPUSB#, CLKREQ#, PERST#,and WAKE# are not used in the extended USB connector to reduce the pincount. Additional pins could be added to the extended USB connector andsocket if some or all of these pins are desired. In the implementationof FIG. 6, the SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) may be implemented in ananalogous manner as the SATA pins.

Extended-Length Substrate with Pins on Same Side—FIGS. 7A-7H.

FIGS. 7A-H show a second embodiment of extended USB connectors andsockets having metal contact pins on just one of the surfaces of thepins substrates. In FIG. 7A, the extended connector has plastic housing96 that the user can grip when inserting the connector plug into asocket. Pin substrate 90 supports metal contact pins 100, 101 on the topsurface. Pin substrate 90 is an insulator such as ceramic, plastic, orother material. Metal leads or wires can pass through pin substrate 90to connect metal contact pins 100, 101 to wires inside plastic housing96 that connect to the peripheral device.

The length of pin substrate 90 is longer than the length L2 of pinsubstrate 34 in the prior-art USB connector of FIG. 3A. The extension inlength can be 2-5 millimeters. Tip-end metal contact pins 101 arelocated mostly in the extension region beyond L2. Metal cover 93 is arectangular or substantially rectangular tube that surrounds pinsubstrate 90 and has an open end.

In the example described below, pins 100 are for USB and pins 101 arefor PCI-Express. It should be understood, however, that pins 101 maysupport any of the other protocols.

FIG. 7B shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, an extended-USB socket having metal contact pins on just oneof the surfaces of the pin substrate. Pin substrate 104 has metalcontact pins 106, 107 formed on a bottom surface facing a cavity thatpin substrate 90 of the connector fits into. Pin substrate 104 does notneed the lower substrate extension of FIG. 4, but can have the L-shapeas shown.

Pins 107 are configured to contact with recessed pins in the pinsubstrate of the extended USB connector. For example, a bump or springcan be formed on extension metal contact pins 107, such as by bendingflat metal pads. As shown, pins 106 and 107 are formed in two parallelrows, both of which are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thesocket. In other words, while individual pins may run parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the socket, the row that is formed runsperpendicular to this longitudinal axis. Pins 106, which carry USBsignals, are disposed closer to the opening of the socket.

Metal cover 98 is a metal tube that covers pin substrate 104 and theopening underneath. Metal cover 93 of the USB connector fits in gaps 110between metal cover 98 and the top and sides of pin substrate 104.Mounting pin 102 can be formed on metal cover 98 for mounting theextended USB socket to a PCB or chassis.

FIG. 7C shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, the bottom surface of socket pin substrate 104, whichsupports metal contact pins 106, 107. Primary metal contact pins 106,which include the four USB pins, are in a first row of 4 pins that areclosest to the socket opening. Secondary metal contact pins 107 are in asecond row of 8 pins that are farthest from the socket opening.

The 8 extension signals are carried by the second row of pins, secondarymetal contact pins 107, which make contact with metal contact pins 101of the plug. These 8 extension pins carry extended signals, such as forPCI-Express signals.

When the extended USB connector is fully inserted into the extended USBsocket, the tip of pin substrate 90 fits into the cavity under pinsubstrate 104 of the extended USB socket. On the upper surface ofconnector pin substrate 90, metal contact pins 100 make contact with the4 metal contact pins 106 of socket pin substrate 104, and metal contactpins 101 at the tip of the top surface of pin substrate 90 make contactwith secondary extension metal contact pins 107 on the downward-facingsurface of pin substrate 104.

FIG. 7E shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, the extended USB connector just before insertion into astandard USB socket. When fully inserted, as shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 7F, the tip of pin substrate 90 fits under socket pin substrate 42.On the upper surface of connector pin substrate 90, the metal contactpins 100 make contact with the four USB metal contact pins 44 of socketpin substrate 42. The front end row of metal contact pins 101 do notmake contact with any metal contacts since they are recessed onconnector pin substrate 90. Thus only the four standard USB pins (metalcontact pins 44 and 100) are electrically contacted.

FIG. 7G shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, a standard USB connector just before insertion into theextended USB socket. When fully inserted, as shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 7H, the tip of connector pin substrate 34 fits under socket pinsubstrate 104, but does not reach the back of the socket cavity. On theupper surface of connector pin substrate 34, metal contact pins 32 makecontact with the four metal contact pins 106 of socket pin substrate104. Secondary metal contact pins 107 on substrate 104 do not touchconnector metal cover 33 since the depth of the extended USB socket isgreater than the length L2 of the prior-art USB connector. Thus only thefour standard USB pins (metal contact pins 32, 106) are electricallycontacted. As can be seen, the extended USB connector and socket areelectrically and mechanically compatible with standard prior-art USBsockets and connectors.

FIG. 8, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, is aflowchart of an initialization routine executed by a host for detectinga device plugged into an extended USB socket. A host such as a PC canhave an extended USB socket. Either an extended USB device, or astandard USB device can be plugged into the extended USB socket. Thisroutine detects whether the inserted device supports extended-USB modeor only standard USB mode. The routine may be executed by processorsystem 150 of FIG. 5A.

The host detects a newly inserted device plugged into the extended USBsocket, step 200, such as by detecting resistance changes on the metalcontact pins of the extended USB socket. When the newly inserted deviceis detected, a USB reset command is sent over the USB differentialsignal lines to the device, step 202. A USB read-status command is thensent by the host, step 204.

The peripheral device responds by sending its status information usingUSB protocols. The host examines this status information, and inparticular looks for a mode identifier indicating that the peripheralsupports extended-USB mode. This mode identifier can be a status bit ora unique code in an area reserved for use by the peripheral vendor toidentify the peripheral's type or capabilities.

When the peripheral responds with a status indicating no extended-USBsupport, step 206, then processing continues in native USB mode, step214. Standard USB transactions are performed between the host and theperipheral using the differential USB data pins in the four-pin side ofthe extended USB socket. The peripheral likely has a standard USBconnector that has only 4 metal contact pins, not the extension with the8 additional metal contact pins.

When the peripheral responds with a status indicating extended-USBsupport, step 206, then the host further examines the packet from theperipheral to determine that the peripheral can support higher-speedcommunication using the extended metal contact pins, step 208. Theperipheral has an extended USB connector with the 8 additional metalcontact pins in an extension portion of the connector.

The host can further examine the capabilities of the peripheral, such asto determine which extended modes are supported, step 210. Someperipherals may support PCI-Express communication in extended mode,while other support Serial-ATA, Serial Attached SCSI, or IEEE 1394 asthe extended-mode protocol.

The host then sends a vendor-defined USB OUT command to the peripheralstep 212. This command instructs the peripheral to activate its extendedmode of operation. The host verifies that the device received thecommand by reading its status again, step 216. The peripheral respondswith a ready status, step 218. If the status read back from the devicedoes not indicate that the peripheral is ready to switch to extendedmode, step 220, then the device fails, step 224. The host could fallback on standard USB mode, step 214, or attempt again to activateextended mode, step 202. After trying a predetermined number of times,the host fall back on standard USB mode, step 214.

When the peripheral responds with the correct ready, step 220, then thehost and peripheral can begin communicating in the extended mode. The 8additional metal contact pins in the extended portion of the USBconnector and socket are used for communication rather than the 4 USBmetal contact pins. For example, the PCI-Express transmit and receivedifferential pairs can be used to bi-directionally send and receive datawhen the device has a PCI-Express personality. The host uses theseextended pins to send a read-status command to the peripheral, step 222.Data can be sent and received at the higher rates supported byPCI-Express rather than the slower USB rates.

FIG. 9 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,a flowchart of an initialization routine executed by a peripheral deviceplugged into an extended USB socket. A peripheral can have an extendedUSB connector that can be plugged into either an extended USB socket ora standard USB socket. This routine executes on the peripheral deviceand helps the host detect that the inserted device supports extended-USBmode. The routine may be executed by peripheral-device processor system170 of FIG. 5B.

When the peripheral device is plugged into the USB socket, power isreceived though the power and ground pins on the 4-pin USB portion ofthe connector, step 226. The peripheral device executes anyinitialization procedures to power itself up, step 228, and waits for areset command from the host, step 230. Once the reset command isreceived from the host, the peripheral device resets itself, step 232.

The peripheral device waits for further commands from the host, step234, such as a read-status command. The status read by the host, orfurther data read by the host can contain capability information aboutthe peripheral device, such as which extended modes are supported,PCI-Express, SATA, IEEE 1394, SA SCSI, etc., step 236. The reset andread-status commands are standard USB commands from the host.

The peripheral device then waits for a command from the host to enableextended-mode communication, step 238. An enable command followed byanother read-status command must be received, so the peripheral waitsfor the read-status command, step 240. Once the read-status command isreceived, the peripheral responds with an OK or READY status to indicatethat it is ready to switch to using the extended metal contact pins onthe connector, step 242.

Then the peripheral device switches its bus transceivers to match thebus-protocol specified by the host to be able to communicate over the 8extension metal contact pins, step 244. The 4 USB metal contact pins arenot used. The peripheral device waits for a read-status command sent bythe host over the extended metal contact pins and responds to thisread-status command, step 246, initializing for the new protocol mode.The peripheral device can then receive extended commands such asPCI-Express commands that are received over the extended metal contactpins on the extended portion of the connector, such as the PCI-Expresstransmit and receive differential lines, step 248.

For single mode, the USB pins can be removed. For example, pins 88 inFIGS. 4A and 4C and pins 86 in FIGS. 4B and 4D can be removed. They donot absolutely have to be removed though because if no trace isconnected to them, these pins will not do any harm.

FIG. 10 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, a flowchart of an initialization routine executed by a singleor one-sided multi mode host for detecting a device plugged into anextended USB socket. Single mode means only 1 mode, excluding theconventional USB mode. One-sided multi mode means that in the extendedconnectors 72 in 4A, there are multiple modes supported. A host such asa PC can have an extended USB socket. Either an extended USB device, ora single mode device can be plugged into the extended USB socket.Connectors 88 in FIG. 4A can be saved. If these connectors physicallyexist, then they are not employed when the host communicates using anon-USB (extended) mode.

This routine figures out which mode should be used for communication.The routine may be executed by a dedicated state machine or amicrocontroller (not shown in FIG. 5A).

A timer is implemented in firmware or hardware. When the timer expires,step 130, this routine is executed. It sends a reset command to the EUSB(extended USB) connectors (which may or may not have a device pluggedin) in the current highest priority mode, step 131. Then it sends readstatus command to the connectors, step 132. If the device does not existor does not respond, it will figure out if all of its modes areexhausted or not, step 134. If they are not exhausted, then it will sendthe reset command with the next priority mode, step 131 again, etc. Ifthey are exhausted, then it jumps to restart the timer again and waitfor the timer to expire, step 130 again.

If the device respond, that means the device can talk in the currentmode. The microcontroller will interrupt the CPU and send the devicestatus packet back to CPU, step 135. The host CPU will load theappropriate device driver and start using this mode to communicate tothe device directly, step 136.

FIG. 11 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, a flowchart of an initialization routine executed by a singlemode peripheral device plugged into an extended USB socket. A peripheralcan have an extended USB connector that can be plugged into an extendedUSB socket. This routine executes on the peripheral device. The routinemay be executed by peripheral-device processor system 170 of FIG. 5B.

When the peripheral device is plugged into the USB socket, power isreceived though the power and ground pins on the 8-pin extended portionof the connector, step 140. The peripheral device executes anyinitialization procedures to power itself up, step 141, and waits for areset command from the host, step 142. Once the reset command isreceived from the host, the peripheral device resets itself, step 143.

The peripheral device waits for further commands from the host, step144, such as a read-status command. The device will respond to thiscommand using its only mode, step 145.

Several other embodiments are contemplated by the inventors. Forexample, a variety of materials may be used for the connector substrate,circuit boards, metal contacts, metal case, etc. Plastic cases can havea variety of shapes and may partially or fully cover different parts ofthe circuit board and connector, and can form part of the connectoritself. Various shapes and cutouts can be substituted. Pins can refer toflat metal leads or other contactor shapes rather than pointed spikes.The metal cover can have the clips and slots that match prior-art USBconnectors.

FIG. 12 shows, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, an arrangement that reduced 2 pins, as compared to theimplementation of FIG. 6. In the embodiment of FIG. 12, the SAS pins maybe implemented in an analogous manner as SATA. Other embodiments thatincrease or decrease the number of secondary pins are also possible.

ExpressCard can use the same mechanism described above to include SATA,SAS and 1394. They can be overlapped with the PCI Express signals.

A third embodiment of extended-function USB connectors and sockets usingextended pins on a pivoting substrate attached to the socket's pinsubstrate can be used. The length and depth do not have to be extendedin this embodiment, or can be extended less than the embodiments ofFIGS. 4, 7.

The connector can have plastic housing that the user can grip wheninserting the connector plug into a socket. Pin substrate supports metalcontact pins on the top surface. Pin substrate is an insulator such asceramic, plastic, or other material. Metal leads or wires can passthrough pin substrate to connect metal contact pins to wires insideplastic housing that connect to the peripheral device.

Reverse-side metal contact pins are placed in a recess in the bottomside of pin substrate near the tip of the connector plug and can haveraised ribs on each side to prevent contact with the spring-like clipson the metal cover of the standard USB socket. Reverse-side metalcontact pins are additional pins for extended signals such as forPCI-Express signals. Metal leads or wires can pass through pin substrateto connect reverse-side metal contact pins to wires inside plastichousing that connect to the peripheral device.

The length of pin substrate can be the same as the length L2 of pinsubstrate 34 in the prior-art USB connector of FIG. 3A, or can beslightly longer. Reverse-side metal contact pins are located near thetip of the connector plug. Hole or notch is also provided on thereverse-side, but farther back from the tip of the plug. Two notches canbe provided.

Metal cover is a rectangular tube that surrounds pin substrate and hasan open end. A large opening or several smaller openings in metal coveron the bottom of pin substrate allows reverse-side metal contact pinsand notches to be exposed.

An extended-USB socket can have retractable metal contact pins on thelower surface of the pin substrate. Pin substrate has metal contact pinsformed on a cavity-top surface facing downward to a cavity that pinsubstrate of the connector fits into. Pin substrate also has lowersubstrate extension that is not present on the prior-art USB socket,which has an L-shaped pin substrate.

Extension metal contact pins are mounted on lower substrate extensionnear the rear of the cavity. A bump or spring can be formed on extensionmetal contact pins, such as by bending flat metal pads. This bump allowsextension metal contact pins to reach reverse-side metal contact pinswhich are recessed in pin substrate of the connector.

Extension metal contact pins are mounted on a small, pivoting substratethat is connected to or part of a mechanical switch. A bend or bump nearthe socket-opening end of a mechanical switch is depressed by aconnecter inserted into the socket opening. As the mechanical switch isdepressed, one end of pivoting substrate is pushed downward, causingextension metal contact pins to pivot downward. Extension metal contactpins do not make contact with metal cover when the mechanical switch isdepressed. This pivoting caused by the mechanical switch preventsextension metal contact pins from shorting to the metal cover on astandard USB connector.

A cavity is formed by the bottom surface of the pin substrate and thetop surface of lower substrate extension and the back of the pinsubstrate that connects to the lower substrate extension. The depth ofthis cavity can be the same or somewhat greater than the depth D2 of theprior-art USB socket of FIG. 3B. Metal cover is a metal tube that coversthe pin substrate and the lower substrate extension. Metal cover of theUSB connector fits in gaps between the metal cover and the top and sidesof pin substrate. Mounting pin can be formed on the metal cover formounting the extended USB socket to a PCB or chassis.

Rather than use PCI-Express, the extended USB connector/socket can useserial ATA, Serial Attached SCSI, or Firewire IEEE 1394 as the secondinterface. The host may support various serial-bus interfaces as thestandard interface, and can first test for USB operation, then IEEE1394, then SATA, then SA SCSI, etc, and later switch to a higher-speedinterface such as PCI-Express. During extended mode when the 8 extendedcontacts are being used for the extended protocol, the 4 USB contactscan still be used for USB communication. Then there are twocommunication protocols that the host can use simultaneously.

In the examples, USB series A plugs and receptacles are shown. However,the invention is not limited to Series A. Series B, Series mini-B, orSeries mini-AB can be substituted. Series B uses both upper and lowersides of the pin substrate for the USB signals. The left-side andright-side of the pin substrate can be used for the additional 8 pins.Series mini-B and Series mini-AB use the top side of the pin substratefor the USB signals. The additional 8 pins can be placed on the bottomside of the pin substrate 34 for these types of connectors. The extendedUSB connector, socket, or plug can be considered a very-high-speed USBconnector (VUSB) connector since the higher data-rates of PCI-Express orother fast-bus protocols are supported with a USB connector.

A special LED can be designed to inform the user which electricalinterface is currently in use. For example, if the standard USBinterface is in use, then this LED can be turned on. Otherwise, this LEDis off. If more than 2 modes exist, then a multi-color LED can be usedto specify the mode, such as green for PCI-Express and yellow forstandard USB.

For example, if a device such as an Express Card can communicate usingeither the USB or PCI Express mode, a hardware switch may be employed toselect the mode, and an LED Logic circuit may indicate the communicationmode to the user. FIG. 13 shows one such implementation. The basic LEDcircuit includes a photo LED, current limiting resistor and a bufferwithin the controller. The LED will be on whenever there is a currentflowing across it from the cathode to anode. The detect and LED buffermay be implemented with general purpose input/output (GPIO) port, forexample.

In FIG. 13, the USB mode is selected with SW1 switched to VCC; whereasPCI Express mode is selected with SW1 switched to ground. The selectedmode is then stored to configuration register REG1 via the detectcircuit. As shown, there are two LEDs for mode indication, i.e. LED 1830will be turned on when USB mode is selected. Otherwise, LED 1820 will beon for PCI Express mode.

Alternatively, hardware strapping may be employed to indicate thecommunication mode of such multi-protocol capable device. FIG. 14 showsone implementation of hardware strapping. As a further alternative, themode of protocol may be directly programmed into configuration withoutthe need for hardware switch. During the device configuration stage, thesoftware may store the mode setting from auto mode detection (if thedevice has an intelligent algorithm to determine the proper mode) or maydownload the mode setting from a non-volatile storage device, forexample. As a further alternative, the LED circuit portion of FIG. 13may be implemented by the LED circuit of FIG. 15 wherein the devicecontroller sources current into the LED when the buffer output is drivenhigh.

There are times when it may be desirable to generate a clean resetsignal for the peripheral device. For example, if the power supplyvoltage drops below a threshold voltage, it may be desirable to assert areset signal and keep the reset signal asserted for some time interval(Td) after the power supply voltage rises above the threshold voltage togive the multi-personality device time to stabilize itself (see FIG.16). One way to implement the reset circuit involves and RC circuit,such as that shown in FIG. 17. However, it is also possible to implementthe reset circuit using a voltage comparator if more precision isdesired. In the voltage comparator implementation of FIG. 18; thedivided supply voltage (Vp) is compared to the threshold voltage (Vth),and the reset signal is asserted whenever Vp is below Vth. The resetoutput may be either active high or active low. The reset output may beconfigured as either push/pull or open drain.

In some cases, it may be desirable to endow the peripheral device withuser-settable write-protect indication to prevent the unintentionallyalteration of the information, such as information stored in storagedevice (e.g., removable flash media). An implementation of the writeprotect logic may include a write protect switch and a detect circuit.

In one embodiment, the user may manually set the write protect switch toproduce to the detect circuit two electrical polarities, i.e. enable ordisable. The detect circuit normally may be an input port or generalpurpose input/output (GPIO) port of the device controller. The detectedpolarity is then used to instruct the processor to govern the writebehavior to the storage subsystem of the peripheral device. In otherwords, the write access is prohibited if the write protect switch isenabled; otherwise the write access is allowed. FIGS. 19A, 19B and 19Cillustrate respectively implementations using a single pole double throw(SPDT) switch, a single pole single throw (SPST) switch whereby the pullup resistor sets the default polarity as high, and single pole singlethrow (SPST) switch whereby a pull down resistor sets the defaultpolarity as low.

Alternative implementations to those explicitly discussed above are alsopossible. For example, the pivoting substrate can pivot along a hinge orother connection at the back of the socket, or can have a spring orsprings under it that are depressed, causing the pivoting substrate tomove downward in a more parallel and less pivoting manner. Othervariations and exact implementations are possible.

The longer metal contact pins on the edges can be used to carry ground,while the shorter metal contact pins in the middle can be used to carrypower and other signals, such as shown in FIG. 4D. The longer metalcontact pins make contact first, allowing ground to be connected beforepower. This improves hot-plug reliability.

Applications can include flash drives, USB connectors on desktopcomputers, notebook computers, Pocket PC's, Handy Terminals, PersonalCommunicators, PDA's, digital cameras, cellular phones with or withoutdigital cameras, TV set-up boxes, MP3, MPEG4, copiers, printers, andother electronic devices. Such devices may use to advantage the higherspeed offered by the extended modes of the extended USB connectors andsockets, and may reduce size and space together with lower cost comparedwith larger card-type and dual-plug connectors. Legacy USB devices andhosts are supported, so the extended hosts and peripherals can freelyoperate with other legacy peripherals and hosts using standard USB mode.

Additional metal contacts can be added to the new connectors andsockets. These additional metal contacts can serve as power, ground,and/or I/O pins which are further extensions to the USB specification,or PCI Express or other specificiations. Greater power capability can beobtained with (or without) additional power and ground pins (or by ahigher power supply current of the existing power pin). Multiple powersupplies can also be provided by the additional power and ground pins.The improved power supply capabilities allow more devices and/or morememory chips to be powered.

Extra I/O pins can be added for higher bandwidth and data transferspeeds. The additional I/O pins can be used for multiple-bit data I/Ocommunications, such as 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 32, 64, . . . bits. By adoptingsome or all of these new features, performance of hosts and peripheraldevices can be significantly improved. These additional pins could belocated behind or adjacent to the existing USB pins, or in various otherarrangements. The additional pins could be applied to male and femaleconnectors.

To reduce the number of extended pins, the four original USB pins can beshared. One embodiment has a total of 10 pins. Two of the differentialsignal pins for PCI-Express, Serial-ATA, and IEEE 1394 can be sharedwith the 2 differential data pins of USB. The same scheme can be appliedto the ExpressCard connector. There is no change for the 4 pins relatedto USB. For the PCI Express signals, only PETn, PETp, PERn and PERp needto be modified to include the corresponding signals for 1394, SATA andSA-SCSI. Other PCI-related signals can be mapped also.

Clock signals such as REFCLK+ and REFCLK− are important signals to addif additional pins are available. If even more pins are available, theside band signals in ExpressCard can be added, like CPPE#, CPUSB#,CLKREQ#, PERST#, WAKE#, +3.3AUX, SMBDATA, SMBCLK, etc.

The approach of using the modified PCI Express signals can be applied tothe designs of the fully buffered memory modules of DRAMs.

One alternative to double the transfer bandwidth of the USB is toincrease the USB clock frequency from 480 MHz to 960 MHz. Thisalternative does not need any additional pin. Nothing needs to bechanged for the USB mechanical standard.

Another alternative to double the transfer bandwidth of USB is describedbelow. Refer to FIG. 4C, the additional 8 pins can be reduced to aminimum of 2 pins. These additional 2 pins can be used to carry anotherdifferential pair of data for the USB. With 2 pairs of differential datalines, the transfer speed can be doubled.

Any advantages and benefits described may not apply to all embodimentsof the invention. When the word “means” is recited in a claim element,Applicant intends for the claim element to fall under 35 USC Sect. 112,paragraph 6. Often a label of one or more words precedes the word“means”. The word or words preceding the word “means” is a labelintended to ease referencing of claims elements and is not intended toconvey a structural limitation. Such means-plus-function claims areintended to cover not only the structures described herein forperforming the function and their structural equivalents, but alsoequivalent structures. For example, although a nail and a screw havedifferent structures, they are equivalent structures since they bothperform the function of fastening. Claims that do not use the word“means” are not intended to fall under 35 USC Sect. 112, paragraph 6.Signals are typically electronic signals, but may be optical signalssuch as can be carried over a fiber optic line.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention belimited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto.

1. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) plug, comprising: an extendedpin substrate having an extended substrate length longer than a lengthof a pin substrate of an industry-standard Series A USB connector, saidlength of said pin substrate of said industry-standard Series A USBconnector being about 12 mm; a plurality of USB connector contactsarranged in a first row in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinalaxis of said extended USB plug, said plurality of USB connector contactsbeing disposed on said pin substrate of said industry-standard Series AUSB connector and configured to carry USB signals; a plurality ofnon-USB connector contacts arranged in a second row parallel to saidfirst row, said plurality of non-USB connector contacts being configuredto carry non-USB signals; and wherein said extended USB plug isconfigured to be mechanically and electrically compatible with both anindustry-standard Series A USB socket and an extended USB socket, saidextended USB socket including an extended cavity having an extendedcavity length longer than a length of a cavity of said industry-standardSeries A USB socket, said length of said cavity of saidindustry-standard Series A USB socket being about 9 mm, and wherein saidplurality of non-USB connector contacts being disposed in a firstposition relative to said plurality of USB connector contacts, saidfirst position representing a position that is on the opposite substrateside relative to said plurality of USB connector contacts, therebypreventing said plurality of non-USB connector contacts fromelectrically coupling with said plurality of USB socket contactsconfigured to carry said USB signals in said industry-standard Series AUSB socket when said extended USB plug is fully inserted into saidindustry-standard Series A USB socket, said first row being positionedon said extended pin substrate so as to enable said plurality of USBconnector contacts to electrically couple with respective ones of saidplurality of USB socket contacts when said extended USB plug is fullyinserted into said industry-standard Series A USB socket.
 2. Theextended USB plug of claim 1 wherein said first row is disposed on afirst side of said extended pin substrate.
 3. The extended USB plug ofclaim 2 wherein said plurality of non-USB connector contacts in saidsecond row are recessed below a surface of a second side, said secondside being opposite of said first side, said second row is disposedfurther toward a distal end of said extended pin substrate than saidfirst row, and said plurality of non-USB connector contacts include atleast one of 8 contacts and 6 contacts.
 4. The extended USB plug ofclaim 1 wherein said plurality of non-USB connector contacts areconfigured to be electrically coupled to a first socket-residing row ofnon-USB socket contacts in said extended USB socket having twosocket-residing rows of contacts when said extended USB plug is fullyinserted into said extended USB socket, said first socket-residing rowof said non-USB socket contacts being configured to carry said non-USBsignals, said non-USB signals represent one of a set of PCI-EX signals,a set of SATA signals, a set of SAS signals, and a set of 1394 signals,a second socket-residing row of said two socket-residing rows ofcontacts represent said plurality of USB socket contacts configured tocarry said USB signals, said plurality of USB connector contacts beingconfigured to be electrically coupled with said plurality of USB socketcontacts when said extended USB plug is fully inserted into saidextended USB socket.
 5. The extended USB plug of claim 4 wherein saidplurality of non-USB connector contacts in said second row are recessedbelow a surface of a first side, said second row being disposed furthertoward a distal end of said extended pin substrate than said first row,wherein said plurality of non-USB connector contacts include at leastone of 8 contacts and 6 contacts.
 6. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus(USB) plug, comprising: an extended pin substrate made from an insulatedmaterial, said extended pin substrate having an extended substratelength longer than a length of a pin substrate of an industry-standardSeries A USB connector, said length of said pin substrate of saidindustry-standard Series A USB connector being about 12 mm; a pluralityof USB connector contacts arranged in a first row in a directionperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said extended USB plug, saidplurality of USB connector contacts being disposed on said pin substrateof said industry-standard Series A USB connector and configured to carryUSB signals; a plurality of non-USB connector contacts arranged in asecond row parallel to said first row, said plurality of non-USBconnector contacts being configured to carry non-USB signals; andwherein said extended USB plug is configured to be mechanically andelectrically compatible with both an industry-standard Series A USBsocket and an extended USB socket, said extended USB socket including anextended cavity having an extended cavity length longer than a length ofa cavity of said industry-standard Series A USB socket, said length ofsaid cavity of said industry-standard Series A USB socket being about 9mm, and wherein said plurality of non-USB connector contacts beingdisposed in a first position relative to said plurality of USB connectorcontacts, said first position representing a position that is on theopposite substrate side relative to said plurality of USB connectorcontacts, thereby preventing said plurality of non-USB connectorcontacts from electrically coupling with a plurality of USB socketcontacts configured to carry said USB signals in said industry-standardSeries A USB socket when said extended USB plug is fully inserted intosaid industry-standard Series A USB socket, said first row beingpositioned on said extended pin substrate so as to enable said pluralityof USB connector contacts to electrically couple with respective ones ofsaid plurality of USB socket contacts when said extended USB plug isfully inserted into said industry-standard Series A USB socket.
 7. Theextended USB plug of claim 6 wherein said first row is disposed on afirst side of said extended pin substrate.
 8. The extended USB plug ofclaim 7 wherein said plurality of non-USB connector contacts in saidsecond row are recessed below a surface of a second side, said secondrow are disposed on said second side of said extended pin substrateopposite said first side, wherein said second row is disposed furthertoward a distal end of said extended pin substrate than said first row,and said plurality of non-USB connector contacts include at least one of8 contacts and 6 contacts.
 9. The extended USB plug of claim 6 whereinsaid plurality of non-USB connector contacts are configured to beelectrically coupled to a first socket-residing row of non-USB socketcontacts in an extended USB socket having two socket-residing rows ofcontacts when said extended USB plug is fully inserted into saidextended USB socket, said first socket-residing row of said non-USBsocket contacts being configured to carry said non-USB signals, saidnon-USB signals represent one of a set of PCI-EX signals, a set of SATAsignals, a set of SAS signals, and a Set of 1394 signals, a secondsocket-residing row of said two socket-residing rows of contactsrepresent said plurality of USB socket contacts configured to carry saidUSB signals, said plurality of USB connector contacts being configuredto be electrically coupled with said plurality of USB socket contactswhen said extended USB plug is fully inserted into said extended USBsocket.
 10. The extended USB plug of claim 9 wherein said second rowbeing disposed further toward a distal end of said extended pinsubstrate than said first row.
 11. The extended USB plug of claim 10wherein said plurality of non-USB connector contacts includes at leastone of 8 contacts and 6 contacts.
 12. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus(USB) socket, comprising: an extended cavity having an extended cavitylength longer than a length of a cavity of an industry-standard Series AUSB socket, said length of said cavity of said industry-standard SeriesA USB socket being about 9 mm; a plurality of USB socket contactsarranged in a first row in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinalaxis of said extended USB socket, said plurality of USB socket contactsbeing disposed in said cavity of said industry-standard Series A USBsocket and configured to carry USB signals; a plurality of non-USBsocket contacts arranged in a second row parallel to said first row,said plurality of non-USB socket contacts being configured to carrynon-USB signals; and wherein said extended USB socket is configured tobe mechanically and electrically compatible with both anindustry-standard Series A USB connector and an extended USB plug, saidextended USB plug including an extended pin substrate having an extendedsubstrate length longer than a length of a pin substrate of saidindustry-standard Series A USB connector, said length of said pinsubstrate of said industry-standard Series A USB connector being about12 mm, and wherein said plurality of non-USB socket contacts beingdisposed in a first position relative to said plurality of USB socketcontacts, said first position representing a position that is on theopposite substrate side relative to said plurality of USB socketcontacts, thereby said plurality of non-USB socket contacts in saidsecond row are positioned such that no portion of said industry-standardSeries A USB connector would physically contact said second row whensaid industry-standard Series A USB connector is fully inserted intosaid extended USB socket, said first row being positioned in saidextended cavity so as to enable a plurality of USB connector contacts ofsaid industry-standard Series A USB connector to electrically couplewith respective ones of said plurality of USB socket contacts when saidindustry-standard Series A USB connector is fully inserted into saidextended USB socket.
 13. The extended USB socket of claim 12 whereinsaid first row is disposed on a first interior wall of said extendedcavity and said second row being disposed on a second interior wall,said second interior being located opposite of said first interior wall,said plurality of non-USB socket contacts in said second row areconfigured to electrically couple with recessed contacts in a connectorwhen said connector is fully inserted into said extended USB socket,said recessed contact being recessed below a surface of a pin substrateof said connector, said second row is disposed further away from anopening of said extended cavity than said first row, said plurality ofnon-USB socket contacts include at least one of 8 contacts and 6contacts.
 14. The extended USB socket of claim 12 wherein said pluralityof non-USB socket contacts are configured to be electrically coupled toa first connector-residing row of non-USB connector contacts on saidextended USB plug having two connector-residing rows of contacts whensaid extended USB plug is fully inserted into said extended USB socket,said first connector-residing row of said non-USB connector contactsbeing configured to carry said non-USB signals, said non-USB signalsrepresent one of a set of PCI-EX signals, a set of SATA signals, a setof SAS signals, and a set of 1394 signals, a second connector-residingrow of said two connector-residing rows of contacts represent USBconnector contacts configured to carry said USB signals, said pluralityof USB socket contacts being configured to be electrically coupled withsaid USB connector contacts when said extended USB plug is fullyinserted into said extended USB socket.
 15. The extended USB socket ofclaim 14 wherein said plurality of non-USB socket contacts in saidsecond row are configured to make electrical contact with recessed pinsof said first connector-residing row, said second row being disposedfurther away from an opening of said extended cavity than said firstrow, said plurality of non-USB socket contacts include at least one of 8contacts and 6 contacts.
 16. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB)socket, comprising: an extended cavity having an extended cavity lengthlonger than a length of a cavity of an industry-standard Series A USBsocket, said length of said cavity of said industry-standard Series AUSB socket being about 9 mm; a plurality of USB socket contacts arrangedin a first row in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis ofsaid extended USB socket, said plurality of USB socket contacts beingdisposed in said cavity of said industry-standard Series A USB socketand configured to carry USB signals; a plurality of non-USB socketcontacts arranged in a second row parallel to said first row, saidplurality of non-USB socket contacts being configured to carry non-USBsignals; and wherein said extended USB socket is configured to bemechanically and electrically compatible with both an industry-standardSeries A USB connector and an extended USB plug, said extended USB plugincluding an extended pin substrate made from an insulated material,said extended pin substrate having an extended substrate length longerthan a length of a pin substrate of said industry-standard Series A USBconnector, said length of said pin substrate of said industry-standardSeries A USB connector being about 12 mm, and wherein said plurality ofnon-USB socket contacts being disposed in a first position relative tosaid plurality of USB socket contacts, said first position representinga position that is on the opposite substrate side relative to saidplurality of USB socket contacts, thereby said plurality of non-USBsocket contacts in said second row are positioned such that no portionof said industry-standard Series A USB connector would physicallycontact said second row when said industry-standard Series A USBconnector is fully inserted into said extended USB socket, said firstrow being positioned in said extended cavity so as to enable a pluralityof USB connector contacts of said industry-standard Series A USBconnector to electrically couple with respective ones of said pluralityof USB socket contacts when said industry-standard Series A USBconnector is fully inserted into said extended USB socket.
 17. Theextended USB socket of claim 16 wherein said first row is disposed on afirst interior wall of said extended cavity, said second row aredisposed on a second interior wall of said extended cavity opposite saidfirst interior wall.
 18. The extended USB socket of claim 17 whereinsaid plurality of non-USB socket contacts in said second row areconfigured to electrically couple with recessed contacts in a connectorwhen said connector is fully inserted into said extended USB socket,said recessed contact being recessed below a surface of a second side ofa pin substrate of said connector, said second row is disposed furtheraway from an opening of said extended cavity than said first row, saidplurality of non-USB socket contacts include at least one of 8 contactsand 6 contacts.
 19. The extended USB socket of claim 16 wherein saidplurality of non-USB socket contacts are configured to be electricallycoupled to a first connector-residing row of non-USB connector contactson said extended USB plug having two connector-residing rows of contactswhen said extended USB plug is fully inserted into said extended USBsocket, said first connector-residing row of said non-USB connectorcontacts being configured to carry said non-USB signals, said non-USBsignals represent one of a set of PDI-EX signals, a set of SATA signals,a set of SAS signals, and a set of 1394 signals, a secondconnector-residing row of said two connector-residing rows of contactsrepresent USB connector contacts configured to carry said USB signals,said plurality of USB connector contacts being configured to beelectrically coupled with said USB socket contacts when said extendedUSB plug is fully inserted into said extended USB socket.
 20. Theextended USB socket of claim 19 wherein said plurality of non-USB socketcontacts in said second row are configured to make electrical contactwith recessed pins of said first connector-residing row, said second rowbeing disposed further away from an opening of said extended cavity thansaid first row, said plurality of non-USB socket contacts include atleast one of 8 contacts and 6 contacts.